If you follow 4 simple rules in the kitchen you can reduce the possibility of spreading bacteria that can cause illness.
1. Routine and through cleaning and disinfecting of kitchen surfaces – wash all fruits and vegetables before eating.
2. Prevent cross contamination between foods.
3. Refrigerate foods as quickly as possible – both after shopping and any leftovers from your meals.
4. When cooking make sure foods reach proper temperatures to kill any bacteria.
Do not thaw foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours before refrigerating.
Foods thawed in cold water should be cooked immediately.
Do not allow poultry, eggs or other cooked foods to remain out of refrigeration for longer than 2 hours.
Make sure you chill all foods properly and your refrigerator temperatures are 40 degrees or less.
Don’t overcrowd shelves as this restricts air movement and can lead to foods not being brought down in temperature as rapidly as they should be.
Items such as cloth wash cloths, sponges and kitchen toweling should be washed on a daily basis if they have been used at all during the day.
Vegetable brushes should be rinsed and either washed with hot soapy water or run through the dishwasher after being used.
There is one other very important thing to remember is good hand washing after handling foods, and between different types of foods. Your hands can carry enough bacteria to contaminate the entire kitchen in just a few minutes so remember wash those hands often with soap and water.
